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The '''Korean Peninsula''' is a ] in ]. It extends southwards for about 1,100 kilometres from the continental ]n mainland into the ] and is surrounded by the ]/] on the east, the ] to the south, and the ] to the west, the ] connecting the first two bodies of water. It is currently divided into the countries of ] in the south and ] in the north. The single term Korean Peninsula is therefore often used to refer to these two states at the same time. Up until the division of the peninsula following the end of ], ] was a single political entity for many centuries whose territory roughly coincided with the Korean Peninsula.


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The northern boundaries for the Korean Peninsula is commonly (and tacitly) taken to coincide with today's political borders between North Korea and her northern neighbours, ] (1,416 km) and ] (19 km). These borders are formed naturally by the rivers ]/] and ]/]/]. Taking this definition, the Korean Peninsula has an area of approximately 220,000 ].


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By the inhabitants, it is called ''Han bando'' (]: 한반도) in ], or ''Choson bando'' (조선반도) in ], due to the ].
==Physical geography==
Mountains cover 70 percent of the Korean Peninsula and arable plains are generally small and far in between the successive mountain ranges. The peninsula becomes more mountainous towards the north and the east, with the highest mountains (including ] which stands at 2,744 m) found in the north.

The peninsula has 8,460 kilometres of coastline, and the south and west coasts are highly irregular in particular; most of the 3,579 ]s off the peninsula are found along the south and the west coasts.

==Climate==
The climate of the Korean Peninsula differs dramatically from north to south. The southern regions experience a relatively warm and wet climate similar to that of ], affected by warm ocean waters including the ]. The northern regions experience a colder and to some extent more inland climate, in common with ]. For example, the annual precipitation of the ] valley (600 mm) is less than half of that on the south coast (1500 mm). {{ref|rainfall1}} Likewise, there is a 20 °C difference in January temperature between the peninsula's southern and northern tips.

The entire peninsula, however, is affected by similar general patterns, including the East Asian ] in midsummer and the frequent incidence of typhoons in autumn. The majority of rainfall takes place during the summer months, with nearly half during the monsoon alone. Winters are cold, with January temperatures typically below freezing outside of ] Island. Winter precipitation is minimal, with little snow accumulation outside of mountainous areas.

==Biogeography==
Surveys of Korean flora have identified more than 3,000 species on the peninsula, of which more than 500 are ]. The peninsula's ]s are commonly divided between ], ], and ] zones. The warm-temperate zone prevails over the southern coast and islands, including ]. It is typified by a larg number of ]s. The temperate zone covers the great majority of the peninsula, away from the southern coast and high mountains. It is dominated by the ] and various broad-leaved deciduous trees. Cold-temperate vegetation is found along the peninsula's northern fringe and in the high mountains, including the upper reaches of ] on Jeju. Evergreens in this area include ] and ]. Much of this vegetation is shared with Manchuria.

==Geology==
The terrain of the Korean peninsula is rumpled, covered with low mountains. Most rocks are of ] origin, although isolated pockets of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic rock can also be found.

There are no active volcanoes on the peninsula. However, ] in the north and ] in the south have ]s, indicating that they were active not long ago. In addition, ] in the ] is believed to have been of volcanic origin. Furthermore, ] indicative of low-level volcanic activity are widespread throughout the peninsula. Roughly two earthquakes are recorded per year, but few have any major impact.

==Symbolism==
The ] has a blue map of the Korean Peninsula on a white background. The flag was introduced in 1991 to represent the joint North and South Korean team at the ] world championships. The athletes from the two Koreas marched together under this flag at the ] and the ].

==Notes==
#{{note|rainfall1}} KOIS 2003, p. 17.

==References==
{{Book reference|Title=Handbook of Korea, 11th ed.|Author=KOIS (])|Publisher=Seoul:]|Year=2003|ID=ISBN 1-56591-212-8}}

==See also==
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Latest revision as of 17:55, 8 August 2022

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